Synchronizing motor-vehicle transmission gears



Feb 19, 1929.

I w. T. CHARLES SYNCHRQNIZING MOTOR VEHICLE TRANSMISSION GEARS Filed Aug. 25, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l l'nvenflar,

Feb. 19, 1929.

W. T. CHARLES SYNCHRONIZING MOTOR VEHICLE TRANSMISSION GEARS Filed Aug. 25. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenl'br ger busses and railroad vehicles, where shift;

Patented Feb. 9, 1929.

UNITED- STATES PATENT" OFFICE.

I SYNCHBONIZING MOTOR-VEEICLE TRANSMISSION GEARS.

Application filed August 25, 1926; sem 'n 131,457.

This invention relates to devices for,syn chronizing the gears in the gear box, of a 4 are arts commonin most all makes of motor vehic es. Secured tothe shifting lever 2 is a motor vehicle transmission, and. has for its"bracket'eprovided with a plungerfi backed byasprlng 7. The'plunger6 engages notches object the production of an automatic synchronizing mechanism.

Another objectof this invention is'to provide means wherbey any shift of gears can be performed while-a vehicle is in motion atany speed of which it is capable while .inige ar. Another object of this invention is toprovlde means whereby the gears may be shifted without disengagtijng the clutch.

Another 0 .vide a mechanism simple in construction, easily attached, and independent of the gear shift should it become inoperative. f Another-object of this invention is to provide a means whereby the gears are synchronized in a minimum amount of time. with positive degree of .accuracy.-

The present invention has been designed to prevent damaging the gearing in the trans-' mission gear box, especially in trucks, passening of gears occurs frequently.

The accompanying drawings show one practical embodiment of my inventlon, but

- it must be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact constructionshown on the drawing, as various modlficatlons may sug gest themselves to those skilled in mechanicalart without departing from the'spirit or intent of my invention. y

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of these speeificationsrFigure 1 is a general arrangement in pla my invention applied to am tor vehicle, the gear boxca-rbu'reter and front wheel being shown diagrammatically.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view sh'owing the construction of the notched disks for setting the controlling cam of my invention.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the governor and governor shaft, with the controlling cam and variable lever shown inplan view, and Figure 4'is a detailed'cross sectional view through the movable pivot of the variable lever. Y Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts'in the several figures of the drawings. 3 I

In the drawings an automobile transmission caseis shown at 1. The gear shifting lever 2, theearbureter-3 and the front wheel ]ect of this invention is to proview showing 80f a manually operated member 9, said memher being built-up of a series of disks 10, boltvehicles.

The centrally located disk of the member 9'is provided with a hub 12, said'hub being mounted upon a shaft 13 which is free to r0 tate inthe bracket 5. A suitable operating handle 14 is also. secured to the hub 12 for moving said member 9 against the locking action of the plunger 6. Secured. to the shaft 13 is a flexible shaft. 15,'the flexible shaft at 1ts opposite end has mounted thereon the controlling cam 16 of my invention. The cam 16 is also rotatably mounted on a base plate 17 and is provided with an op o0 1 ed together as at 11, for the purpose of'adjust- 1 erating groove.18 which-engages a pin 19 on' a. lever 20 pivoted at 21 to a bracket secured to the base plate 17. The lever 20 at its opposite endis provided with a slot 22 which engages a plvot stud 23 mounted upon a slide 24 whichmoves inuides'25 mounted upon the base late 17. through by a guiding pin 28 engaging a. curved slot 29 he pivot 23 alsopasses v elongated slot 26 in a variable lever 27, whose endwise movement'is limited in abracket 30 attached to. the aforemenv tioned base plate 17." 'j I The variable lever 27 has a projection 31 at its free end, which engages an abutment 32 attached to the accelerating rod 33 of the car bureter 3.

brackets 34and 35 and a bracket 36. The

37jwhich is attached't'o one end of a flexible shaft 38 the opposite end of which is mounted in a pinion 39 engaging a gear 40 on the wheel cured thereto one disk, member 41 of a clutch.

. A spring 42' is provided for forcing the disk 7 4.1 The opposite end of short shaft37 has se- Mounted upon the base plate 17 are bearing I p engage the clutch members .41 and 43 when.

said lever is moved upon'its pivot 47 mounted'on .a bracket 48 of the base plate 17. v

The governorshaft 44 is hollow and surrounds an' inner sliding shaft 48, connected to rotate with the shaft 44 by a pin 49 engaging slots 50 in the shaft 44. The pin 49 at its ends engages a collar 51 to which is pivoted at 52 the arms53 of the governor, secured to the governor'weights 55, the oppositely disposed governor arms 56 are secured to lugs at 57', said lugs being rigidly attached to shaft 44.

The shaft 48 as will be seen by a perusal of Figure' of the drawings, has a sliding movement endwise within the shaft 44, and as the speed of the shaft 44 increases the governor will tend to force the shaft 48 outwardly from-the end of shaft 44 against the action of the spring 58 which engages a collar 59 on shaft 48 and a retaining nut 60 screwed into the end of shaft 44. Secured to the end of shaft 48 is the male member 61 of a cone clutch, said member'61 engaging the complementary member-62, which slides and rotates ina' ide 63 formed by the bracket 36. The mem er 62 is provided with a threaded extension 64 engagin a threaded-opening 65 at the rear end of t e guide 63. A spring 66 is secured to the bracket 36 at 67 and to the clutch member 62 at 68. The purpose of the spring66 is for returning the clutch member 62 to its normal position, when the clutch member 61 has been withdrawn by the gover nor 55. A slidebar 69 moving in guides 70 and 71 in the brackets and 36 respectively operates the lever 45, for disengaging the clutch members 41 and'43, when said slide baa 69 has been forced endways by the lever .20l which engages the end 72 of said slide bar when not active. The slide bar will be returned by the spring. 42 forcing the clutch members 41 and 43, into engagement when moved to any desired shift.

The operation of my invention is as fol-,

lows: The cam 16 is rotated for the desired shift of gears through the flexible shaft 15" e by the member 9 under the influence of the manually operated handle 14. As the cam 16 is rotated the groove 18 definitely sets the lever 20 through its engaging pin 19 for the desired shift. The movement'of the'lever 26locates the pivot 23 of the variable lever 27 in its proper position. The vehicle is travelling under its power and the projee tion 64 on the clutchmember 62 is forced a certain distance'to engage variablelever 27 the amount of movement of the lever 27 depending upon the action of the governor due to the speed of the vehicle. The opposite end of variable lever 27 through its projection 31 engaging the abutment32 on the accelerator rod 33 causes the engine to come'to the same speed as that of the motor vehicle, or rather the drive shaft gears in the gear boxto rotate at the same speed as .the driven shaft gears are rotating with which they are to be engaged by the idler of the transmission shift. By examination of Figure 30f the drawings it will be seen that the 'movable pivot 23 may be so placed by action of the cam groove 18 that the movement of the variable lever 27 against'the accelerator rod 33 may in some cases be almost negligible under the action of the governor shaft, whereas a shifting of said pivot 23 to'the'opposite end of slot 26 may make the movement of the variable lever against the-accelerator rod underthe action of the governor'considerable.

Assuming that a motor vehicle has three 7 .vehicle clutch shaft as the gears are shifted from low to intermediate and intermediate.

to high. This order will be reversed, shifting from high to intermediate and from intermediate to low ordinarily. The above method involves disengagement of the clutch for each shift of gears.

In shifting w1th my invention the clutch remains engaged, remove manual control from the accelerator, throw your shifting lever to neutral position, simultaneously turning the handle 14 until the plunger 6 en'- gages thenotch corresponding to the shift you desire to make. The gears will now become automatically synchronized by the action of my invention as disclosed in the drawings, in. a short period ofxtime, and remain indefinitely at any speed above idlin speed The shifting lever may now be moved engaging'lthe gears desired; 7 v

' y invention now only saves wear on the gears and also damage to them, but also saves the time lost in slowing up the vehicle by throwing out the clutch in order to make the shift.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination with a motor vehicle accelerator means having an operating shaft for controllin' the speed of the motor for the vehicle; o apparatus for synchronizing the speed of the enginewith the forward including shiftable transmission gearing and speed of the vehicle for any desired gear shift of the transmission, including a lever provided with a movable pivot axis and operative ly engageable with the accelerator shaft for actuation thereof, manuallyopcrable selector means for shifting the pivotal axis of the lever to vary the throw thereof, and governoractuated means operatively controlled by the forward speed'of the vehicle for impartlng movement to said lever for causing the speed of the engine to beara timed relation to the forward speed" of the vehicle relative to the selected gear shift.

2. The combinationlwith a motor vehicle includingshiftable transmission gearing and accelerator means having arr-operatingshaft for controlling the speed of the 'motor forthe vehicle; of apparatus for synchronizing the I speed of'theengine with the forward speed of the Vehicle for any desired-gear shift ofthe transmission, including a lever provided with a movable pivot axis and operatlvely en gageable with the accelerator shaft-for. actuaccelerator means having an operating shaft ation thereof,.a manually operated selector cam,.means ,operableb the cam for shifting the pivotal axis of the ever to vary the throw thereof, and governor actuated means embodying a longitudinally movable member voperatii' ely controlled by the forward-speed of the vehicle for impartmg movement to said lever -for causing the speed of the en gine torbear a timed relationto the forward Speedofthe vehiclerelative to the selected gear, shaft.

- 3. The combination with a 'motorivehicle including shiftahle transmisslon gearing and for controlling the speed of the motor for the vehicle; of apparatus for synchronlzing the speed of the engine with the speed of the vehicle. for any desired gear shift of the transmission, including a lever having a movbring the speed of the engine into conform,-

ity with the forward speed of the vehicle relative to the selected gear shift, and means for retracting said screw fed member fromenga'gement with the lever whe the governor means is idle.

. 4...The combination with a motor vehicle including shiftable transmission gearing and accelerator means having an operatin shaft for controlling the speed of the motor or the vehicle; of apparatus for-synchronizing the speed of the engine with the s eed of the vehicle for any desired gears ift of the 't ransniission, including a lever having a movable pivot axis and operatively engageable with the accelerator shaft for actuation there- -o'f, manually operable selector means for lshifting the pivotal axisof the lever to vary throw thereof, governor means operable ie' forwardjspeed of the vehicle and emying a shaft movable longitudinally upon the ' opening,

7 .pera'tion ofthe governor means, a exible' drive shaft connected for rotation upon travel of the vehicle,'clutch means between. the

drive 'shaft and governor means, means oper able by said shaft and engageable' with said lever for imparting-movement thereto for bringing the speed of the engine-into "conformity with theforward speed ofthe vehicle relative to the selected gearshift, and clutch release meansoperatively disposed between the clutch means and selector meansand"op-.

erable for releasing the clutch thru actuation v the desired gear is completed.

of the selector means when 5. In mechanism for synchronizing the drive and driven gears of shiftable motor vehicle transmissions for synchronizingthe speed of theengine with the-forward speed of the vehicle, the combination of a'rotatable shaft embodying inner and outer telescoping sections, means for rotatin the outer shaft section in accordance with t e forward speed of thevehicle,governor arms connecting the inner and outer. shaft sections for imparting longitudinal movement to the inner shaft section uponrotation of the outer shaft section, a'lever having a movable pivot axis and operable. for varyin the speed of the engine to conform with t e forward speed of the vehicle relative to the selected gear shift, manually operable selector'mea-ns for shifting the pivotal axis of the lever, and .a rotatable screw bolt operable by the inner shaft section for imparting movement to said lever.

In mechanism for synchronizing the drive anddrrven gears of shiftable motor vehicle transmissions, the combination with a lever having a movable pivot axisand operable fol controlling the speed of the motor forthe vehl le, and'm'a'nually operable selector means f0 shiftin the ivotal axis of the lever to va thet ow t ereof; of governor means opera le .upon travel of the vehicle,

embodying a; ylinder'providedwith'aclosed end having an; axially disposed threaded a member shdably and 'rotatably mounted in the cylinder including a head porthreaded shank portion threaded thru the opening in' said cylinder, a spiral spring enortion with one end site end anchored in the "end'wallof the cy1- circling said shank anchored in said hea portion and its-oppoinder for rotating the said member inone drrection, to move-the head portion away from the closed end wall, a rotatable shaft including inner and. outer telescopic sections mounted co-axially of the said'm'e'mber, a

conical clutch head carried by theouter end of the inner shaft section for-clutchin relation with said conical clutch seat, an governor arms operatively connecting theinner and outer shaft sections for imparting longitudmal movement to'the inner shaft sectionand moving the clutch head thereof into clutching relation with the conical clutch seat for imparting rotation to said member 110 tion. havinga conical clutch seat and a x mounted in the cylinder whereby the thread ed shank portion thereof Will be moved longitudinally for imparting movement to said lever.

7. In apparatus of the class described the combination with a governor controlled accelerator actuating lever having a movable pivot axis, and cam acting selector means for shifting the pivotal axis of the lever, of a selector device embodying a series of superposed adjustable discs having notched circumferential edges, plunger means engageahle in the notches for yieldably retaining the discs against rotation, and a flexible coupling shaft between the selector device and selector means. k

In testimony whereof I- affi-x my. signature. WILLIAM THOMAS CHARLES. 

